Lithium super-battery with a chemically functionalized disordered carbon cathode

摘要

An electrochemical energy storage device, lithium super-battery, comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous separator disposed between the two electrodes, and a lithium-containing electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein the positive electrode comprises a disordered carbon material having a functional group that reversibly reacts with a lithium atom or ion. The disordered carbon material is selected from a soft carbon, hard carbon, polymeric carbon or carbonized resin, meso-phase carbon, coke, carbonized pitch, carbon black, activated carbon, or partially graphitized carbon. In a preferred embodiment, a lithium super-battery having a functionalized disordered carbon cathode and a Li4Ti5O12 anode exhibits a gravimetric energy ˜5-10 times higher than those of conventional supercapacitors and a power density ˜10-30 times higher than those of conventional lithium-ion batteries. This device has the best properties of both the lithium ion battery and the supercapacitor.

主权项

1. A rechargeable lithium battery or supercapacitor comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous separator disposed between the two electrodes, and a lithium-containing electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein the positive electrode comprises a disordered carbon material as a cathode active material having a functional group that reversibly reacts with a lithium atom or ion during charge and discharge cycles of said battery or supercapacitor and wherein said disordered carbon material is selected from a soft carbon, hard carbon, polymeric carbon or carbonized resin, meso-phase carbon, coke, carbonized pitch, carbon black, activated carbon, or partially graphitized carbon and said functional group is selected from —COOH, ═O, —OH, —NH2, an oxygen-containing group attached to a carbon atom, —OR, or —COOR, where R is a hydrocarbon radical.